The Merovingian Principle
by Having Done All
Summary: Trixie has returned to Ponyville, but it is her mysterious assistant that has everypony talking. The damaged Alicorn is hiding a dark secret, but nopony is willing to get close enough to him to find out what it is. Can Fluttershy help sooth his wounds and give him a purpose again? Can the ponies protect themselves from the danger his presence represents?
1. Prologue: The Board Is Set

**The Merovingian Principle**

_Prologue:_

_The Board Is Set..._

The night was calm. The mare gazed up at the sky as the full moon stared coldly out from its place chained high in the heavens. For a moment, as it covered the nightmare around her in a beautiful, silver glow, she imagined it was the eye of God, judging even the hidden sins of His creation. She smirked to herself even as the thought chilled her very soul. He could indeed see everything, and there would be justice for all that she had done. It was just a mater of time.

The intermittent flashes of lightning broke her reverie, and called her attention back to the earth. The anomaly before her should have concerned her, but it didn't. The hole floating in the air was rimed in black runes that seemed to absorb the nearby light, dimming the area around it. The forest on the other side was pristine, stained only by the tempest assaulting it. It was a vaguely familiar forest, too perfect to have been touched by human hands. The Gateway was not what had fascinated her though, it was that storm. The chaos of the gale contrasted disconcertingly with the clam in this Worlds-Plane, reminding her of her path and its inevitable destination. She was openly shivering now, smirk plastered on her face. The storm shouldn't have been there. At all. Gateways were never supposed to be that violent when opened. It was a testament to the power and desperation of the victim lying at her feet.

Oh yes, one was now dead. The smirk she had held turned into a bought of full blown laughter. It wasn't long before she was on the ground all but begging for breath as the warm thought wormed its way through her. It was wonderful. Having barely regained control of herself she looked at the stallion she was now beside. The mighty pegasus lay there, unmoving, face contorted in pain and fear, Hell having long since claimed his soul. His sky-blue coat and silver-gold mane were marred by battle and blood, and his beautiful silver tipped wings were on the ground somewhere having been ripped out of him at the spine. The large mark on his flank, an odd collection of stars, moons, suns, and worlds all behind a bow and crown, was now unrecognizable. She never truly understood what it meant and now she never would. He was an island of flesh in an ocean of blood.

"Poor, poor brother," the mare chuckled to herself. "Surely you must have realized that the portal could not have saved you." She got up from the sticky mess of his congealing blood and looked at him one last time, anger edging her voice. "You boasted so much about your victory. You didn't need us. You were all powerful. Now look at you. You are nothing. Nothing." She leaned over the broken form, mouth hovering near his ear and whispered, "I don't know if God is laughing at your defeat or weeping at the loss of your soul, but I will make sure that He bitterly regrets making us and rejoices with our deaths."

With these thoughts she moved away from the meadow, and the carnage that it hid, toward the storm wracked forest floating before her. She would be followed, but that was the point. This was just another move in a long game. But she could feel the ending. Her destiny would be accomplished, and she would prove herself worthy of the Horseman. Then the world would be rid of her. It was wonderful and terrifying.


	2. Of Humility And Other Inconveniences

_Chapter 1:_

_Of Humility And Other Inconveniences_

Trixie's normally brisk pace had slowed to a crawl, and though she tried to maintain her usual dignified posture she could feel herself shrinking inward with each step. It seemed that every time she put one hoof in front of the other, she left behind a portion of her famous (some would say infamous) confidence. For all intents and purposes it appeared that the Great and Powerful Trixie was afraid of visiting the boorish (some would say friendly) town of Ponyville. Why she wasn't eager to bless the simple community with her unique and amazing entertainment would have puzzled most, if a certain career ending story hadn't been circulated throughout the whole of Equestria. Trixie cringed at the memory.

She had been in Ponyville once before to entertain the citizens, and had maybe got a little carried away in the presentation of her abilities. Everything would have been fine if it weren't for two young colts who decided to try and prove her boasts by luring an Ursa Major into the town. Of course she had never actually faced one before so when she was called to defend the town she had no idea what to do. So one of the locals stepped up and took care of the creature by lulling it to sleep. And if that wasn't bad enough, the beast hadn't even been an Ursa Major, but a baby Ursa Minor. After having lost everything in the debacle, including her home, she was forced to make a magnificent, but hasty, retreat. She had spent the last year recovering from the incident.

Up until then Trixie had been famous. When it came to entertaining others there was nopony better at it than her. She could captivate an audience with a few words. Enthrall the little ones with a few spells. She was rightfully proud of what she could do, and so she couldn't bring herself to contradict the belief that the stories she told were true. As a result her ego had become inflated, and she became increasingly isolated from others. She had initially wanted to be accepted by others, but she found herself separated from them by her other great need: recognition. She loved being on the proverbial, and often literal, pedestal, but like all ironies, the satisfaction of one need starved the other. It was lonely at the top. And though she was surrounded by adoring fans, she was alone. Then the incident at Ponyville changed all that.

Having been run out of Ponyville with absolutely nothing she was confronted with how alone she really was. All that she owned was destroyed, her reputation was tarnished, and she was alone and vulnerable out near one of the local forests in the country. She had nowhere to go, and nopony to turn to. The Great and Powerful Trixie no longer existed. To the mares credit she didn't breakdown and cry but trudged on. Then the storm hit. The freak cloudburst was unscheduled and unusually strong. Within moments the rain had soaked her to the bone, and the thunder had shredded her already raw nerves. She finally leaned against a tree and broke. She sat there weeping, pouring her heart out with the rain, till she eventually fell asleep. It was when she woke when she saw him.

At the thought of the Alicorn she turned to check on her companion and felt renewed resolve. He was a massive pony swathed in a tattered gray-brown cloak. As far as she knew the cloaks only purpose was to hide his scars, but he cherished the garment like a treasure. He knew her better than anypony and he was still there, quiet but constant. His presence reassured her and reminded her why she was doing this. He was also chivalrous enough to pull their home. Needing to accommodate both of them the wooden carriage had proven too heavy for her to move, so he pulled it. How he managed was beyond her because his two right legs could barely support him some days. Still he soldiered on. The only evidence that his limp was affecting him was the light sheen of sweat making his fiery coat and blood-red tail shimmer slightly.

"Delaying your return only lengthens your anguish, child." The Alicorn quietly stated. The deep, gravely voice almost made Trixie jump. In fact she wanted to beg for forgiveness for the implied disapproval, but the feeling was fleeting. It had gone the moment it had formed.

"How do you always do that?", she asked. He always seemed to read her mind, and the simple authority native to his voice made her wonder if he couldn't. But he always gave the same answer, _"Magicians don't reveal their secrets"_. This time though he just looked expectantly at her.

Trixie stopped and sat down. The stallion came up on her right and did the same. He seemed grateful for the rest. The silver gleam coming from under his hood watched her, and the intensity of it almost caused her to shiver. In spite of this, and with a small sigh, she took a moment to examine his statement. "If it's frighting now it will be worse tomorrow, right?" He didn't respond. "When I get there they can either accept me or reject me. My...imagination will only torture me until I know for certain how they will react, and the only way to know is to face them. Otherwise I'm just heaping pain on top of possible pain. In the end I might be fretting over nothing?" She glanced over at the hooded figure and noticed that his gaze radiated joy and pride.

"I love watching your mind work." The slight warmth in his voice was comforting. After a few moments of comfortable silence he got up and continued walking. "Now, for the other side of the coin," he prompted.

With a groan Trixie followed after him. "I also don't want to go back because this is where my lie was found out. Where my arrogance was aptly rewarded. Where I was, how did you put it, 'completely ruined'. Apologizing will be a humbling, and hard, act for me. I don't like being wrong, or at least being caught in the wrong."

"No one does, child," the Alicorn reassured. "In the end an apology is not about you, but about them." As Trixie looked at his face she could see kindness and certainty there. They would accept her back, he at least was sure of it.

The fear would not release her heart though. "But after everything that I've done. All the damage I caused , why would they...?"

"Because you are mortal, and fallible, just like the rest of us," he said, his gentle voice acquiring firmness.

And like that her worry melted away. She looked out at the brilliant day, breathed in the clean air, and felt her confidence return. It was going to be difficult but she could do it. Resuming her original pace she proceeded to pester the Alicorn with "questions" about all the mistakes that all the "perfect" pony's might have made.

* * *

It goes without saying that Fluttershy was nervous. Earlier in the week the Mayor had told the town that the Great and Powerful Trixie would be returning to Ponyville to perform for the residents...again. Apparently she had forwarded an apology in a letter that stated her hope of entertaining them in the near future. This was nerve wracking enough. After all a general "redress of wrongs", as the letter put it, might not be accepted by everypony, and the inevitable tension would make Fluttershy more high-strung than usual. No, the part that really agitated her was that Trixie was asking to winter here in town. Getting to know somepony new was always a somewhat uncomfortable experience. Especially when it might exacerbate the afore mentioned problem. The only solace that the yellow pagasus had in the past week was her animals and friends. Without them she would have never come out of the house, let alone have been standing here with the town-ponies waiting for Trixie's arrival.

Fluttershy felt Angel-bunny move to her head in an attempt to see over the various bodies the mare had put between herself and the front of the crowd. Normally this would have offered some comfort but with so many ponies pressed so close together she found that she was getting a little claustrophobic. Everypony was in the Town Square waiting for Trixie's arrival, and to see exactly what would happen. The constant murmuring of the crowd revealed their impatience and only made the poor pegasus more anxious to have this over with. It was just to much noise for the gentle soul to endure. The constant tapping of Angel's foot on her crown wasn't helping either. So she decided on doing something about it.

"Angel-bunny," she said as loudly as she dare. He might have heard something because he started to look around. So she spoke a tad louder. "Angel-bunny." Now the rabbit was franticly searching the crowd. _Oh, I must not be loud enough,_ Fluttershy thought. "Angel-bunny!" At this quiet outburst two ponies next to her turned their heads in her direction. She shrunk inward, pink as her mane, as she mumbled a quick apology. "Oh, um, I'm sorry for disturbing you." She glanced up and Angel was finally watching her. "Angel-bunny, could you please stop taping my head? I'm starting to get a headache. That is, if you don't mind," She ended with a whisper. Angel simply frowned at her and pointed in the direction she was retreating from. "That's alright Angel. I can see perfectly fine from right here," she said with a smile. Angel face-palmed.

Suddenly it all the talking stopped. For a moment Fluttershy was grateful for the silence. Then it started to thicken and she saw that Angel was stone still, pointing at the road. She found herself discreetly trying to peek between the different ponies striving to see what was going on. Upon finding an appropriate gap she was amazed by what she saw. Trixie stood in front of them wearing her trademark hat and cape covered in stars. The light-blue unicorn seem unaltered by the events of the previous visit, and Fluttershy was unsure if that was a good sign. But it was the huge pony beside Trixie that had her attention. He was obviously a stallion. How she knew she had no idea but she knew. The colors of his coat seemed to dance like flame, and every time his tail flicked at anything she was surprised that speckles of crimson weren't decorating the ground. He was wrapped in a dirty brown hooded cloak along with black, leather greaves strapped to his legs. One silver orb looked out from the left side of the hood scanning the assembly. She could feel it move through them like a fire. Then it landed on her. She knew he was looking straight at her, and she couldn't look away or breathe. She felt like she was being cut open, or x-rayed, or that something _penetrating_ was happening to her. When he finally continued on she felt like she had been measured to the inch, and weighed to the ounce.

Trixie had apparently noticed how quiet it was and looked back at her associate. Frowning she whispered something to him. He turned to look at her and his expression was considerably lightened by a genuine laugh. At the questioning look she gave him he simply smiled and nodded his head toward the ponies. She took the hint and moved closer to them. It was then that Fluttershy noticed that Trixie was fidgeting. She came to within a few feet of them and stood there, carefully examining her hooves. Then she looked at the large group, took a steadying breath, and started to speak.

"As most of you know, when I was last here I behaved badly. I was rude and insulting, arrogant and boastful. I even indirectly caused some damage to your homes. I know that an apology is long since overdue, and that it is almost meaningless as a result. I'll make one anyway. I'm sorry. I treated you poorly and I should never have done that. Could you forgive me?"

Fluttershy already knew what the answer would likely be, but the Mayor waited to give it. In the quiet Trixie had lowered her head again and started to rub her foreleg. The stallion just stood there stoically, a hint of pride shining in his eye. The kind pegasus felt for the poor unicorn. It must have been hard being made to wait in uncertainty for anything, let alone forgiveness. Then the Mayor stepped out causing Trixie to raise her head. When she spoke the whole town was listening.

"We, the citizens of Ponyville, accept your apology, Trixie Lulamoon. You are welcome to spend as much time here as you need." Most of the town cheered this reply, almost deafening Fluttershy. Trixie appeared deeply grateful for this, and though Fluttershy couldn't be sure, Trixie may have even blinked back tears.

After clearing her throat Trixie loudly announced, "Well, I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, will soon be prefor..." **BOOM!** The sound caused everypony to go wide eyed in surprise, and Fluttershy to leap a couple feet in the air, as confetti rained down in, well, sheets. Fluttershy felt them all turn to the source of the explosion and saw her friend Pinkie Pie bouncing around her "Party Cannon", oblivious to the stares.

Everypony could hear Pinkie's excited, and constant, chatter. "YAY, we're going to have a PARTY. It's going to have magic and lights, and magic lights, and cake, and ice cream, and candy, and we'll have fun, fun, fun, and we'll meet new friends, and...GASP..." Before Fluttershy could blink the Party Pony was in front of Trixie, with Trixie's head in her hooves, not even stopping to breathe. "…You could meet all my friends. We already know your name, and you know most of ours, but I never got to introduce you to everypony, or show you around the town. I know you'll love it and you can bring your friend and I can introduce him to everyp..." Pinkie was yanked down and dragged back by Applejack, the yellow pegasus's and pink pony's mutual friend.

"Simmer down there, Sugar Cube. Yer scaring the both of them out of their skins." Applejack said through a mouthful of tail. When Pinkie was far enough away Applejack spit out her tail and continued, "Pinkie here tends to get excited by the idea of a party. One whiff and she's off like a jack-rabbit bolt'n from a timber-wolf."

Fluttershy saw another of her friends, Rarity, step in and reassure Trixie, "Don't mind Pinkie Pie, dear. I understand that she can be a little overwhelming. She is an excellent friend though. Always trying to celebrate our achievements. Before we do anything though, Pinkie is right. If you're going to be staying here we might as well become properly acquainted." Rarity then raised her head, seemingly trying to find the rest of the gang. As she was doing this, Fluttershy observed that Twilight and Rainbow Dash were both hanging back.

She would have wondered at this except she just then perceived that the crowd was moving, or more percisly, that she was moving. That was impossible though because she was sitting down. The timid pony looked behind her and saw Angel-bunny pushing her toward her friends. In a attempt to stop she dug her hooves into the ground, but only succeed in making four grooves. She was soon apologizing to everypony as they tried to get out of her way. It wasn't long before she found herself in the midst of her buddies, and the center of attention because of her pet's antics. Twilight and Rainbow Dash had joined them by this time, completing their troop.

After a quick moment of querying looks and straightening herself up, Fluttershy heard Twilight begin the introductions. With pride in her voice she started, "You've already met our friend, Pinkie Pie, also known as the..."

"...Element of Laughter." a deep voice stated with absolute certainty. "Beside her is Applejack, the Element of Honesty. Beside her is Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness. To her right is Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty. Then there is Rarity, the Element of Generosity. Finally you are Twilight Sparkle, the uniting Element of Magic, and Celestia's prize pupil." Fluttershy was staring at the blaze colored pony with wide eyes and a slack jaw, to shocked to even shy away. The other five mares were equally flabbergasted. He had relocated to stand to the right, or Fluttershy's left, of Trixie, just as stoic as before.

By the time she had regained her wits, Fluttershy noticed that it was Trixie's this time who was proud. Twilight finally spoke up and asked the stallion the important question. "Who are you?"

He stood there for a moment as if tasting his answer. "I am called Sanguine, the Great and Powerful Trixie's assistant."


	3. By Any Other Name

_**AN: Thanks for the reviews, kyo. My ability to pursue this in a consistent and timely fashion will be limited by the ideas leading up to the major events of this story, and my motivation for writing this. So feel free to give me some lighthearted situations characteristic of the show. I'll see if I can implement them. Also, this will likely be the only Note I write since I would prefer that I keep my own voice out of this tale, thereby freeing the participants to relate the narrative in their own unique way. Thanks again.**_

_Chapter 2:_

"_...By Any Other Name..."_

Trixie had often wondered if Sanguine was the steed's real name. Especially when he used the word. She doubted it. It sounded like the name had a personal meaning, like it was way of reminding himself of a mysterious event in his past. Or it could have meant "eats too much ice cream" for all she knew.

Most everypony else had reacted much like herself the first time, they relaxed. This mystery now had a name to go with the face, or at least what they had seen of it. Friendliness was replacing their understandable anxiety, and with it their hospitality began to kick back in. In fact they were now saying their "good nights" and returning to their respective homes. They only unusual reactions that she could see were Twilight Sparkle, who looked like she was worrying at a thought, Pinky Pie, who was instantly ecstatic, and Fluttershy, who had disappeared into her mane save for one cyan eye that was fixed on Sanguine. Trixie found this last behavior to be adorable. (Oh, there was that strange bunny that was sitting on the butter-yellow mare. It watched us with undisguised suspicion. But it's not a pony so it doesn't count.)

Pinky Pie recovered so fast that it was like she was never surprised, and she was soon vigorously shaking Sanguine's hoof. Unfortunately for him she didn't know it was his damaged one. "It's so nice to meet you, Sangwhiny. I know we'll be the best-est, best of friends. Everypony I meet is my friend. Hey, do you want to see the town. I could show you the boutique, the bakery, the li..."

"That's very nice of you, Pinky Pie. We would enjoy a tour of the town." Trixie interrupted, placing herself between Pinky Pie and Sanguine, while cupping his injured hoof in her own. The excitable pink pony didn't appear to be put off by the interruption, while the quiet stallion looked to be thankful. That emotion, as well as the slight pain reflected in his eye, was replaced by worry as he glanced back at their home, left unobtrusively beside a building. "She'll be fine." Trixie reassured him. "It's late and she won't be waking up 'till tomorrow. Besides, you could use a relaxing walk after hauling the cart all day."

He looked past her, carefully considering his decision before answering, "All right." Turning to the other mares he said, "Lead on Pinkamina Diane Pie." The mares once more stared in shock, but Pinky Pie, whose name was apparently much longer, wasn't fazed at all and proceeded to start the tour. Sanguine was almost always like that. Serious, careful, firm and unswerving. He knew where he was going and was the first to follow his own choices. He looked back at her and the mirth in his expression revealed his thoughts. _If she slept through that confetti cannon, what do I have to worry about._

The tour started in earnest. Trixie felt like she was in a small parade as they were led from place to place by Pinky Pie's constant commentary and physics defying movements. How many ponies could be standing a couple of feet in front of you, disappear, then reappear in your face as if they were hanging from the sky. Trixie was at once afraid of what Pinky Pie might do and genuinely entertained by it. Among other things the two newcomers learned that their house was parked beside their guide's home, the local bakery. They also learned of the locations of the other mares houses, though they couldn't see Rainbow Dash's house because of how dark it had become. (Surprise, she lives in a cloud.)

Unsurprisingly the attention of the Elements, save Piny Pie, was not on the circuit, but on the visitors. Though they tried to be discrete, Trixie couldn't help but notice their occasional glances toward Sanguine and herself. Though mostly in awe of her companion, Rainbow Dash looked at her with suspicion, and Fluttershy watched him with open concern. (The bunny's disposition hadn't changed much.) Had Fluttershy not been on his blind side, Trixie suspected that she would have been a bit more cautious in her peeking. Only Twilight Sparkle seemed to be oblivious to his presence, trapped in the confines of her own musings.

By the time they reached the library, Sanguine's limp was giving him trouble. He would probably say that he was fine, but she knew better. The jaunt had become self-defeating. The only consolation for her was that they had found his favorite building. He loved to be in libraries and always seemed his happiest when surrounded by books. Trixie saw his step quicken slightly in anticipation. Pinky Pie introduced us to Twilight Sparkle's home with the same flourish as always, and acquainted us with everything from her desk to her toothbrush, much to Twilight Sparkle's apparent dismay. Since she was now paying attention she must have resolved her earlier problem. Sanguine just stared at the full shelves in wonder (Which didn't look much like wonder because of how muted it was), and stretched his wounded limbs.

Without looking away from the books, Sanguine spoke, "I envy you, Ms. Sparkle. To live always in the presence of knowledge..." He trailed off.

Twilight Sparkle stammered out a reply. "Th-Thank you. I'm glad that y-you like it." The silence that followed quickly became awkward. Everypony, save Sanguine and Pinky Pie, was fidgeting by the time somepony had the courage to speak. Rarity asked the first question.

"So what have you been doing since the you were here last, Trixie?"

"Doing my best to repair my destroyed reputation." Trixie replied simply.

"Oh, I am dreadfully sorry, dear. I didn't mean to remind you..." Rarity, who now was the embarrassed one, started.

Trixie grinned, holding back a chuckle, "That's alright, Rarity. It was my mistake and it's in the past." Trixie noticed Rainbow Dash shift at this. "Besides, I've wanted to tell you all my story for quite awhile now."

Suddenly Twilight Sparkle spoke up, a little to loudly, "Would you like something to eat or drink?" She was flustered again. Applejack stood near Twilight Sparkle and Trixie suspected that she had quietly reminded Ms. Sparkle of her duties as hostess.

Everypony only asked for water, Fluttershy under the condition that she wasn't being an inconvenience ("If that's alright with you," were her exact words.), but Pinky Pie took the opportunity to request every treat she could think of (which was a lot) before being made to settle on chocolate milk. Applejack went to help Twilight Sparkle with the drinks.

Trixie, after waiting politely for her hostess, began her tale. "After the...incident...I ran into Sanguine here and we talked a long time. It turns out he's a very good listener." Sanguine smiled faintly at the complement. "After some encouragement from him we went from place to place trying to rebuild my career. Easier said than done. Many of the towns and cities I had visited before treated me with skepticism at the least. But after about three months we were able to win back some of my customers. You see I had made an important change to my program, and it was that I was now a storyteller. I told stories about others, not myself. No chance of boasting. No chance of misunderstanding.

The process sped up somewhat after that, though it still felt much to slow. Most of my customers would eventually accept me back, but there are a few that are unwilling to continue our 'business relationship'. That hurt. Less now than it did, but it still hurt. Overall, though, the last year has been good for me in more than one way." At this she looked at Sanguine and she smiled.

He smiled back, but it didn't last long. An old worry began to gnaw at the back of her mind. Trixie saw that Fluttershy must have noticed his appearance as well for she took a tentative step forward before reconsidering it and returning to her corner.

"So what about yer friend here, Trixie." Applejack asked. Trixie looked at Sanguine.

"There is nothing to tell," His expression was apologetic but his tone brokered no argument. It was a response that Trixie had learned to be content with herself. She knew that he wasn't trying to be rude, but he was very protective of his secrets. The others were shocked and a few were somewhat hurt by his evasion. That might have prompted Rainbow Dash's bold inquiry.

"How long have you had those scars?" She inclined her head to indicate his legs.

If they weren't flummoxed before, they were now.

Sanguine didn't appear to be offended and stood there considering his answer. "I do not know. I've grown used to most of them."

"Do they hurt?" a small voice asked.

Sanguine turned his head and looked at little Fluttershy, who seemed to shrink into her pink mane under his gaze. (The rabbit seemed frozen in place.) His reply was kind and soft. "Always. Some days more than others." His tone seemed to reassure her.

"Why then do you pull that cart. My brother would'a had a hard time pull'n it and he's as strong as a bull," Applejack blurted.

Trixie answered, "The house is too big for me to pull, so Sanguine offered. I tried using a spell to move the cart for me, but the results were disastrous."

The girls all stared at Trixie. Suddenly Twilight Sparkle burst out laughing, followed closely by Applejack. Even Sanguine shook a little from contained laughter. Everypony else watched them with amused expressions on their faces. Only Trixie seemed out of the loop.

"I...used a...similar...spell during...winter wrap...up," Twilight Sparkle gasped. "Almost ruined the... entire event." At this the stallion erupted in laughter.

"I told Trixie... not to do it...but she would not listen," He forced while grasping his stomach. "I had not laughed so hard in four decades."

It wasn't long before everypony was laughing along as they imagined the scene of The Great and Powerful Trixie being chased by a house-cart. Trixie just sat there, slightly annoyed (I didn't see what was so funny.) and mumbled, "Well you taught me the spell."

Soon the laughter died down and everpony seemed to be more comfortable. "In Trixie's defense, she learned the spell rather quickly. I was just glad she didn't end up hurt." He looked at her, the merriment still in his eyes, and gave her a gentle push on the shoulder. _"It's all in fun. Stop being so petulant,"_ was the clear message.

After a moment Trixie relented (I am not petulant), and with a smile said, "What can I say, I am The Great and Powerful Trixie. Nothing can keep me from learning, not even a runaway house."

"So how did you learn that spell?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "I mean, it's an easy spell, but I found it in a dusty old scroll buried in the back of the Palace Library in Canterlot. I hadn't even heard of it before then."

"Oh! Well, Sanguine taught it to me. Only took me three days to learn," Trixie proudly stated.

_And two weeks to recover from the injuries, _She reminded herself.

Twilight Sparkle looked confused. "Wait. How did you know the spell?"

"It is a very old spell. I am a very old Alicorn." His reply dropped every jaw in the room save Trixie's. Apparently this was a night for surprises. Then the Pink Blur struck again.

"Your a real, live Alicorn. That is amazing. Now I know four Alicorns. One for each of my hooves. See, one, two, three, four." At this she proceeded to lift her hooves in the air until she was unsupported, hovering in mid-air before she landed on her rump. And then she was joined by a rainbow streak.

"That is so COOL. I bet you're a really strong flier, and super fast..."

"...We've never had an Alicorn stay in Ponyville for very long..."

"...You could show me some awesome tricks, and I could show you my awesomer tricks..."

"...We could be super-duper, extra sweet and chocolate-y, with a hint of mint, friends..."

"...And we could make the awsomest tricks ever done by anypony..."

"...Or if you prefer caramel that would be fine, or vanilla, or..."

Then Rarity joined in, "I don't suppose you could teach Twilight some spells? I'm certain that she would love to learn something new. And it's not everyday that you meet a male Alicorn. In fact your the first one I've heard of."

Throughout all of this Trixie noticed that Sanguine's face became ever more somber, till he finally said, "I am tired". Those three, quiet words stopped all conversation.

Trixie quickly picked up on the cue. "Yes. Well, we have a lot of work ahead of us if were going to be ready for the show tomorrow night. Thank you all for the tour, and thank you, Twilight Sparkle, for your hospitality. Good night." With that they all said their good-byes and the two left. Trixie noticed that Fluttershy had followed them out of the Library and stood silently in front of the door.

She wondered at this briefly before returning her attention to Sanguine whose limp now seemed to be worse. "Is everything alright?" she asked. He remained lost in his thoughts. Silent.

She didn't know why, but that scared her more than anything.

* * *

Fluttershy didn't know what to do. Never before had she seen anypony with such injuries. Not even after the incident at the wedding a few months back. She knew how to soothe his physical pain, at least to a degree, but it was his soul that was so deeply scarred. If fact, it probably bled still. Fluttershy couldn't even begin to fix that. She remembered his last words before he and Trixie left, and for some reason felt they fit him.

Troubled she turned around to head back inside when she saw Angle-Bunny. He had his arms crossed and looked at her very seriously. She smiled at him grateful that he was worried for her. "It's alright Angle-Bunny. It's a warm night. I won't catch cold," she reassured. His expression went from annoyed-concern to resigned-frustration. She went past her pet to listen to the conversation that had already started.

"...nd I still say that she is up to no good." Rainbow was finishing.

"Is that the only reason you can offer Rainbow?" Applejack said.

"What more do you need. She humiliated us in front of the whole town, She lied about what she could do, and was a complete show-off." Rainbow replied.

"I seem ta recall you preening like a peacock before Mare-Do-Well showed up" Applejack reminded with a gleam in her eye.

And you went to great lengths to conceal your new found love of reading in order to protect your reputation," Rarity added.

"And we forgave you for those," Twilight said while giving a _that-was-mean_ look to her two friends. All three of the ponies had pink streaks across their muzzles.

"I just don't think we should trust her y.." Rainbow started.

"We don't have any choice," Fluttershy and the rest were shocked by Twilight's interruption. "The mayor just accepted Trixie back in to town so she can't be run off again. Besides, she looks like she learned her lesson." At this Rainbow just crossed her arms and _humph_-ed. "The real concern is her strange assistant." At this Twilight definitely had Fluttershy's attention as well as that of the rest of the gang.

Fluttershy spoke, "W-what do you m-mean?"

Twilight was quick to clarify. "I don't mean that you're to treat him any differently than anypony else you know. It's just that we know nothing about him. He's already being secretive. I've never seen injuries that bad. Ever! Then there's his name."

"What about his name, deary?" Rarity asked.

"I means 'blood-red'." Twilight stated.

"WOW! Gold and orange goes good with red. Maybe I could use those colors at his party." Pinky mused.

"No Pinky. He's associated with blood. Why else would he have that name," Twilight responded with exasperation. Everypony just stared at her.

Then Rainbow Dash spoke up, "Well, maybe he's a doctor and has to work with bad injuries?"

"Then why is he working for Trixie as her assistant?" Twilight reminded.

"Alright, then what else does the word mean?"

"'Cheerfully optimistic, hopeful'. Does he look like any of these things."

"Twilight, what is this _actually_ about?" Applejack demanded. Twilight instantly looked ashamed.

"He's different and an Alicorn. A male Alicorn. And..."

"Now Twilight, stop yer hemin' and hawin' and tell us the truth." Applejack left no room for argument.

Twilight sighed appearing as if she was relenting. "Alright. I didn't want to say anything until I had a chance to talk to the Princesses." Twilight seemed to gather her thoughts before resuming. "In my studies I had complete access to the Royal Library. I took full advantage of that privilege." Amazingly nopony commented. They seemed to understand that what they were hearing was deeply important. "While rummaging through it for research materials I stumbled across a letter. It was very old. There were powerful spells preserving it. It was addressed to Princess Luna and she seemed to cherish it greatly. It was personal so I don't want to reveal it's contents, but it was sent by someone called 'Veritas* Sanguine Dominus, High Lord Master of all Realms for all Time'. In the letter he calls the Princess his daughter." Nopony moved. Nopony even seemed to breath.

Rainbow Dash was the first to get her breath back. "So you think that this guy is 'Veritas*' something or other."

"I'm not sure. The letter obviously pre-dated both the founding of Equestria, and the conflict that preceded that. Our records stop there. Our memories stop there. Anything before that point is legend, and we have few of those. None of which mention a World Ruler. I looked everywhere to find more information, but there was nothing. It was just that letter without any descriptions." Twilight looked defeated. "I don't know if this Sanguine is 'Lord Dominus' or not. That's why I wanted to talk to the Princesses first."

"NO, TWILIGHT, YOU CAN'T." The whole gang turned to look at Fluttershy, who was as surprised as they were by the outburst. She felt herself blushing, embarrassed by her actions. "I-I-I mean, i-i-if the Princesses wanted you t-t-to know about h-h-him, wouldn't they have-ve-ve told you?" She barely managed to whisper.

"But if he's their father they have a right to know he's here." Twilight replied, confused.

"We don't know that they don't know he's here though, and he may not be their father. We're just guessing about that. And we don't want to get their hopes up, right?"

"All the more reason to find out the truth from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." Fluttershy could feel herself fidgeting and biting her lip as she watched the floor. "What is this really about, Fluttershy?" It wasn't lost on Fluttershy that Twilight had been similarly reprimanded only moments ago. She took a moment to seriously consider the question. She felt herself deflate as she sighed.

"I don't know," She answered quietly but honestly. "I just feel like he's going to be very hurt if he doesn't go about this in his own way. He's in enough pain as it is. I just don't want to add to it."

"How do you know he's in pain, dear." Rarity gently asked.

"I can see it in the way he moves and talks and laughs. It's there in the way he looks around at everything and everyone, buried very deep." Fluttershy felt a tear escape and make a warm trail toward the end of her down-turned muzzle.

They others just looked at each other for a moment, exchanging a silent conversation. After a short time Twilight sighed. "Alright. We won't tell the Princesses just yet. I'll still try to get information on this "Master of all Realms", but I'll try and be subtle about it. But I recommend that we ask this "Sanguine" some questions, just in case. Agreed." Everypony nodded, even Fluttershy was smiling as she consented. "Okay then. Let's all just go home and get some rest. It looks like tomorrow is the first day of Trixie's performance. Sleep well and Good Night." At this everypony dispersed and went home.

Fluttershy took it easy during her walk back to her cottage. Angle-Bunny was sleeping peacefully on her back as Fluttershy admired the beauty of Luna's night. It gave her no comfort. She kept thinking of the strange stallion and the quiet way he...suffered. It was foreign to her, alien. It was a pain that made no sense to her, caused by events that she would never comprehend. She felt that was how he wanted it. Fluttershy wasn't completely sure why she was so concerned. There was the normal inability to think poorly of anypony, but there was also an odd mix of terror and curiosity that drove her. He was something that she had never seen before, and his quiet nature was far different than her own. He was otherworldly, and so was his pain. She would likely never know why he was hurting, but her natural empathy refused to let him suffer alone.

* * *

*Changed from DarkLight.


	4. Magician's Never Reveal Their Secrets

_Chapter 3:_

"_Magician's Never Reveal Their Secrets."_

On her first morning in town, Trixie was awakened by an unusual event. Flower was trying to get her up. Not that Flower wasn't an "early bird", but she was usually quiet about it. The little dragon seemed to enjoy the alone time with her "father", and proved to be rather jealous of maintaining it. This morning though, Trixie's sleep addled brain tried to make sense of a white-gold blur that was attempting to shake her awake. It took a moment for her mind to clear enough to even understand that it was Flower on top of her. It took another moment for her to dismiss it, close her eyes, and roll over. And yet another moment for her to feel her left eye being pried open, only for the image to be dominated by a sky-blue sphere exuding fear and worry. Sleep evaporated. She was up immediately and inquiring of (almost interrogating) the dragon as to what was wrong. It was when Flower pointed a shaky wing toward the adjacent bedroom that Trixie registered the thrashing sound.

Thrashing was an understatement. Sanguine was up on his hooves, eye glazed open, slamming his scarred shoulder against the wall. He was mumbling incoherently, and that was made completely unintelligible every time the side of his head followed his body in the abuse. Trixie had never seen him like this before, and the despair in his eye only added to her growing panic. She was too frightened to approach him so she tried calling to him (Yelling, alright. Geez. Stop splitting hairs.), but he wouldn't respond.

After a fruitless effort Trixie had an idea. "Flower close your eyes and cover your ears." Trixie didn't even look back. She just put her head down, covered her ears, tightly shut her eyes, and waited one moment before using her magic. Envisioning a firecracker Trixie felt power running up the length of her horn, building pressure at the very tip. She didn't wait too long though, for fear of overpowering the spell. For a brief second as she released the power she felt minor vertigo, then she heard a muffled clap, and the darkness lightened for a heartbeat. She slowly opened her eyes and raised her head, letting the world back in. Sanguine stood there surprised and disoriented.

"What happened?" Sanguine asked.

Trixie carefully approached him, trying hard to ignore the gap where his right eye should have been without being rude. "You were having a nightmare." He stared at her, slightly wide-eyed before avoiding eye contact by diverting his attention to the new dent in the wall. Trixie sat beside him and joined him in his contemplation of the damage. She just then noticed the small splotches of blood around the location, but oddly wasn't surprised. "Do you want to talk about it?" She could feel him thinking.

He took a deep breath, "No". He then moved to the mirror. She watched as he examined his injuries. Trixie already knew that some of them would need stitches, especially the one around the base of his shattered horn. With minor bruising and small cuts on his shoulder and face, she wished she knew more about healing magic.

"Why not?" she continued. "You know I'm a good listener."

"Yes, you are," he replied. He moved to grab the sewing kit.

Quickly exasperated she shot back, "You have to tell somepony! Your just hurting yourself by keeping it all bottled up inside."

He stopped, but didn't turn around, "No, I do not." And that was it. No change in volume. No change in tone. No change in emotion. Yet she knew the conversation was done.

Trixie considered his choice of words as Sanguine retrieved the kit and returned to where she was in his room. _He's not going to tell me about his dream. Why? Does he not trust me? _Trixie shook her head. _No, it's not a trust issue. He knows that I wouldn't tell anypony. Then why? Is he afraid, embarrassed? Has he already forgotten the dream? No, I can't imagine anything embarrassing him, and he would have said that he forgot. Then he must be frightened. Of what, though? Of how it would affect our friendship? Would it change how I think of him? And why did he not answer the second part of my outburst? Is he really trying to hurt himself? _

The kit was laid at her hooves. Trixie looked up into Sanguine's silver eye and tried hard to hide her worry. "I am afraid I can not do this myself," he said by way of apology.

Trixie simply grasped the needle and thread with magic, and started to stitch him up. "Don't worry," she said. "You'll still have time for your morning prayers." His lips just twitched upward in the memory of a smile as he motioned to Flower that it was now safe to say "good morning".

When Flower reached him he placed his foreleg around her and said to Trixie, "I am always praying."

* * *

Fluttershy's morning had been routine. Her mind would sometimes wander to the events of last night, distracting her momentarily. What surprised her was how minor the distraction actually was. _He_ would occasionally intrude into her thoughts, but without interrupting her activities. Her concern hadn't diminished, but it seemed to her that he was more than capable of taking care of himself. The animals hardly noticed the limited distraction. She greeted them, fed them, and checked on the nocturnal ones. Angle-Bunny hardly left her side almost worrying Fluttershy since he ate much too fast. She had to tell him to stay at home, though in order to do some shopping and visiting.

Shopping was harder that usual today. Everypony was all abuzz about the show that would happen later on in the evening, and it was all they would talk about. Most of the townsponies expressed genuine excitement over Trixie's return, some were unsure about it, and still others were openly negative in their opinions of her. As a result, there were more ponies at market today to visit and finish their errands early. Fluttershy once again found herself in the middle of a crowd.

All things considered she felt she did an admirable job of keeping her cool. Instead of being frozen to the spot, she found that she could shuffle from place to place. Literally. And shuffle she did. Fluttershy felt that she could have broken the speed shuffling record. Not that this helped the moods of the other customers in the different lines she needed to be in, but they were kind enough not to say anything. She was so focused on the task at hand that the loud _slam _beside herscared her. Fluttershy was frightened enough that she found herself cowering on the ground behind the pony after her in the queue.

"Why you moving so slow, Fluttershy?" said a familiar voice. Fluttershy opened her eyes and noticed two things. One was that the pony she had used for concealment had taken her now vacated spot in line. The second was that Rainbow Dash was the cause of her reaction.

"Oh. Hello Dash. I'm just a little nervous with all these ponies around." Honestly glad to see her sky-colored friend.

"Well, hurry up," Rainbow entreated. "We don't want to be late for the show."

"But, um, isn't it still well before lunch?"

"Well, yeah. But that doesn't mean that you should slow down. I actually got all my work done before lunch." Dash stated proudly.

Fluttershy resisted the urge to remind Dash that at "10 seconds flat" her work took up no time at all. Instead she just said, "Then maybe you could help me finish here? If you don't mind that is?"

Rainbow Dash though for a minute. "Nah. That would be boring." Fluttershy couldn't help the disappointed expression that crossed her face. "Besides, I want to see 'High Lor...', I mean, _Sanguine_ set up the stage in the town square."

_Sanguine, working on the stage? _This caught Fluttershy's attention, and suddenly a need to see if he was okay entered her heart destroying her previous calm. Why a pony that injured would work that hard was beyond her. Without warning she was struggling with the very real need of her errands, and the felt, possibly illusory, need for his safety. She felt a nudge on her shoulder. Fluttershy looked up into the magenta eyes of her friend. It was as if she were trying to talk to Fluttershy but no words came out, just moving lips. She blinked a few times and sound flooded back in.

"Fluttershy? You're at the front of the line." Fluttershy turned to look forward and saw that she was at the stall she had been wanting to buy from.

Wide eyed she quickly stammered, "I-I-I'm s-s-so sorry. Um, could I have some lettuce, please." The vendor seemed to be straining to hear from Fluttershy's position below the counter. Fortunately he did hear and promptly filled her order.

Fluttershy proceeded to finish her business and purchased lunch from one of the stalls, because Sugar Cube Corner was likely to be crowded, when she noticed Trixie. It seemed that Trixie had a similar idea about lunch and had shown up attempting to get something to eat. This was the first time that Fluttershy had seen Trixie out of costume before, and she was almost unrecognizable. Trixie's white and light blue streaked mane and tail complimented her light blue coat perfectly. She stood with the same dignity that she always had, but it felt more natural, less of an act. Her violet eyes would have held their usual confidence were it not for the salespony inventing excuses not to serve her. Everypony was just ignoring the scene, while some eyed Trixie angrily. Trixie soon gave up and looked around at the other stalls, but to Fluttershy's surprise they all were deliberately ignoring her. Trixie then turned around and trotted away. She tried to maintain the same dignity that she had come with, but Fluttershy could see the hitch in her step. It looked like it was going to be harder to earn the other ponies trust than Trixie seemed to have hoped. Than even Fluttershy had hoped.

"Pffft. Serves her right for how she treated everypony last time," Dash remarked. Fluttershy looked at her and put all of the hurt and disappointment that she felt into her gaze. When they locked eyes Rainbow Dash at least had the decency to look ashamed. Fluttershy then went back to the vendor that she had purchased lunch from and bought additional meals. She then went and hovered her way toward Trixie. She could hear Rainbow Dash make some exclamation, probably of confusion, but Fluttershy wasn't paying attention.

When she had come up beside Trixie, Fluttershy had caught her by surprise. Her visage melting into relief, Trixie found her tongue. "Oh, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash." Trixie further composed herself while Fluttershy glanced to her left to find that Dash had followed her. "It's good to see you. Did you want something?"

"I was hoping you could join us for lunch." Fluttershy replied. Both Rainbow Dash and Trixie stopped in their tracks. "You don't mind, do you?"

Dash and Trixie were both staring, and it was making Fluttershy worried. Then Trixie blinked and her eyes started darting around. "Ah, no I don't mind, but with the long lines for food I wouldn't want to delay your meal." Any other day Trixie's obvious evasion might have worked, but not today. Fluttershy flipped open her saddlebag displaying the contents.

"Lunch is on me," was all Fluttershy said.

* * *

Trixie was so thankful for Fluttershy's kindness that she couldn't stop, well, thanking her. (In a dignified way of course.) Trixie led her and Rainbow Dash, who didn't seem as eager to follow, to the town square where the stage was. They had to climb over the ropes that were keeping the early crowd away from the platform. In that moment Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "Where's the stage?" Trixie just kept going, already knowing the reason why they couldn't see it, till she felt herself pass through the barrier. To the others it would have looked like she had vanished, and sure enough she heard Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash gasp. She hid her laughter, but couldn't hide her smile.

She turned and stuck her head out of the barrier and playfully demanded, "Well? Aren't you providing lunch?" She then watched as they gathered themselves and tentatively moved toward the obstruction. When they hit it their faces went from uncertainty to shock. It was like pushing scissors through paper. Quick, easy, and accompanied by the unpleasant sensation that you were breaking something fragile. When they made it through they released the breath that Trixie knew they would be holding. Trixie then waved her hoof dramaticly as she asked, "What do you think?" Their awed expressions were answer enough.

The incomplete stage looked like the one she used before when she was first here, but this one was far more complex. The framework hid a number of different mechanical devices that would facilitate some of her tricks. Sanguine strained at the various pulleys and boards while Flower flew from joint to joint nailing in the various pieces. The familiar shape was materializing before her eyes. It was interesting watching him hoist some of the pieces in place with pulleys while others he just braced against his shoulder and pushed upright.

Trixie's guests were at first intrigued by the little dragon flying around, (Fluttershy looked gleefully excited.) then there gazes shifted down to Sanguine, who was without his cloak. He still wore his greaves and his relatively large eye patch over his right eye, but this would have been the first time they would have seen the latter. His mane and tail were still dark red, with their cut looking like circular blades advancing up to his head or down to the tip of his tail. When looking at the hair though you got the impression that you were watching a river of flowing red liquid. The fiery color of his fur on the entire right side of his body, from flank to nose, back to hooves, was broken up by painful-looking scars of different shapes and sizes. They saw the broken horn that was on his head. He had often described it as a hollow pentagram: two small sides jutting out from the base, with the final, very, very long sides stretching from there to meet in a sharp point. What remained showed that it was flat lengthwise with the serrated edges being parallel to the length of his body. Now less than half remained, with the break occurring at the back of the horn, and moving sharply upwards toward the front in a jagged point. The wings, too, were devastated. The bat-like wing on the right of his body was completely missing from the first joint, and the thin membrane of flesh that was left had jagged rents in it. The bones of its twin on the other side were mostly intact, with the exception of the "finger" farthest from his body which was missing its lower half. There was exceedingly little membrane on that wing though, making it useless. Trixie saw both of the Pegasi's wings twitch in sympathy.

In spite of the effort of work and assumed pain, they could hear him singing a strange, rhyme-less song.

"You have searched me, Lord, and You know me.  
You know when I sit and when I rise;  
You perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;  
You are familiar with all my ways.  
Before a word is on my tongue

You, Lord, know it completely.  
You hem me in behind and before,

And you lay Your hand upon me.  
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,  
Too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?  
Where can I flee from Your presence?  
If I go up to the heavens, You are there;  
If I make my bed in the depths, You are there.  
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,  
If I settle on the far side of the sea,  
Even there Your hand will guide me,  
Your right hand will hold me fast.  
If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me  
And the light become night around me,'  
Even the darkness will not be dark to You;  
The night will shine like the day,  
For darkness is as light to You..."*

Flower was humming along. Teaching her these songs while they worked strengthened their bond. They also seemed to lift his spirits and help him deal with the day. That was especially important after what had happened that morning.

Trixie called to them and they soon came over. Sanguine had grabbed his cloak but kept the hood down, while Flower rode on his head. Flower had a long neck, long snout, and wings instead of fore-claws, so she sat straight and tall (for her) on his cranium. This combined with the sparkle of her bone-white scales and shine of her golden underside and wings, made her look like an oversized crown. Fluttershy stared at her in awe.

Then, without any preamble, Fluttershy was hovering just inches from Flower and practically squealing questions (And giving Sanguine, who is such a gentlecolt, an embarrassing view.). He stopped so hard that he was almost sitting, and both Sanguine and Flower wore looks of supreme surprise, though his appearance was about to put Trixie in stitches because of the blush you could see even through _his _orange-red fur. Poor Flower, who was uncomfortable around strangers, began to slowly retreat down his neck. Then Trixie heard a whisper in her ear. "You so much as say the word 'dragon' and she goes into full blown panic mode. But if it's a _baby_ dragon, then she has to hold it, and cuddle it, and know everything about it." A snicker escaped the voice.

Trixie turned to Rainbow Dash and replied in similary hushed tones, "She will have a hard time getting answers. Unfortunately little Flower is mute. She can sign with her wings though. But I think that Sanguine and Flower are both to shocked to care." Rainbow Dash started and took a step back grimacing. Trixie wondered why she reacted that way. Sanguine, having recovered, and Fluttershy were walking toward them while he was busy translating Flower's apprehensive wing movements.

When they all made it to Trixie and Rainbow Dash, (And after they got over the disconcerting sensation of being in a giant fish bowl, where _they_ at least could see everypony else.) everypony settled in to eat. Though the conversation started off haltingly, Trixie noticed that everypony was growing more comfortable around each other. They ended up discussing the stage and were told that, since Sanguine would be with Trixie during the show, the devices aided in his own slight-of-hoof since he could no longer use magic. This of course led back to his scars, which he still refused to discuss except to say that although the horn was the more versatile and recent loss, he missed the freedom of flight more. Rainbow Dash, unexpectedly, didn't seem to respect Sanguine any less for his lack of flight. In fact, her respect seemed to have genuinely increased, and showed itself in an unusually formal way. Very formal in fact. She kept calling him "sir" and nodded every time her addressed her. It was a curiosity that Trixie didn't dwell upon though. The only bump in this otherwise smooth road was when Fluttershy noticed his bandages and that they needed to be changed. She had inured as to how he had hurt himself, causing Trixie and Flower to stiffen, but he remained unfazed and brushed it off as "Difficulty getting out of bed, nothing more". Trixie could practically see Fluttershy file it away in her mind.

The conversation also highlighted the differences between Sanguine and Fluttershy. Fluttershy's quietness seemed to stem from her timidity. Trixie noted that it must have helped her interact with her animals for the simple reason that Trixie knew those animals didn't like being startled any more than Fluttershy did. On the other hoof, Sanguine's was the result of his confidence. He didn't need to prove anything to anypony and it gave each syllable the weight of a command. Fluttershy seemed as if the slightest thing could blow her over or frighten her away. Whereas he looked as if a mountain could fall toward him and he wouldn't flinch. It was more likely that he would make the mountain move out of his way. But there was a gentleness and warmth about her that was usually absent in his cold rigidity and distance.

By the end of the lunch, Trixie felt closer to Fluttershy, and even Sanguine seemed more relaxed by her presence. As for Rainbow Dash, Trixie felt further away from her, while Rainbow Dash and Sanguine had found some common ground. As everypony said their good-days and returned to their tasks, (And to change the bandages. You thought I forgot, didn't you.) Trixie leaned over to him and with a smug look on her face said, "Fluttershy seems to like you."

Without deviating from his path all he said was, "Possibly."

Wanting to rib him further she continued, "And the way Rainbow Dash was treating you I was surprised she wasn't bowing and calling you _your Majesty._" At this Trixie burst out laughing.

"I noticed. I will have to ask Ms. Sparkle how she learned about me." With that he continued on while Trixie stopped dead.

_"...Learned about me"? What does he mean by that?_

* * *

Twilight was waaaay to tired to even consider going to the show that evening. She had gotten up extra early that morning and caught the earliest train to Canterlot that she could. After a much too short greeting to Princess Clelestia, Twilight had thrown herself into scouring the Royal Library for information about Veritas** Sanguine Dominus. She had found nothing. Not even the letter that was the source of her questions. Likely Princess Luna had taken it back. Twilight Sparkle knew that she would have to initiate a more exhaustive search, but that would take weeks and someone would notice that she was gone defeating the purpose of keeping this hunt a secret. She had even gone so far as to risk asking an amused Princess Celestia if she knew of any books from before Discords appearance. Of course she said no. Apparently the god of chaos had destroyed every last record in his twisted games. Twilight had just barely made it back to town in time for the show, trying to avoid making Sanguine suspicious. She sighed in tired frustration. True to the age old cliche, this was going to be a lot harder than she had originally thought.

Her friends quickly found her, and it was Rarity who first noticed her mildly disheveled appearance. From the way Rarity carried on though she must have thought Twilight was a disaster and so she endured Rarity's grooming. Her other friends though wanted to know what she had found out about Sanguine, and so she relayed the disappointing news. The others were quick to comfort her and encourage her to try again. Twilight halfheartedly agreed only because she was to sleepy to make any commitments right then.

Princess Luna had just risen the moon and Twilight was beginning to wonder when the show would start when the murmuring of the spectators was silenced by a voice. Trixie's voice. "The Great and Powerful Trixie commands silence, not for my benefit, but for yours. For these stories, excavated from beneath the very sands of Time itself, carry great lessons for those who would listen. Some will lift your spirits and make you laugh at life. Others will make you fear should the outcome of these tales befall you. And still others will make you weep. Each of these stories are true, and are therefore solid, unalterable, and unyielding. They will mark you. They will mark each of you." Then the curtains parted.

The scene of Trixie standing in the middle of the stage, without floodlights, fog, or fanfare was something of a letdown, but then she started talking. Sometimes she would use light puppets, while at other times she would simply speak. Sanguine would come on to act out some parts, or perform some slight-of-hoof with sparklers or rockets or smoke, or they would just trade the telling of the story, bouncing off of each other with comments or go back and forth with the parts. True to her word they were funny, scary, or sad, and they all had the weight of truth no mater how outlandish they were. They told stories of friends, lovers, competitors, children, paupers and princes. Twilight truly regretted never hearing these stories before and she found herself already analyzing them for their meanings. Trixie was magnificent. The audience was enraptured. But it was the last story that Twilight was most in awe of.

Trixie adopted a low, thoughtful tone for the opening. "Long ago, when the Four were still in power, the representative of Chaos was born. His name was Discord. Like some avatars he was an imperfect analogy of his element. He could form coherent words when there is nothing coherent about Chaos. He could make elaborate plans when there is nothing elaborate or planned about Chaos. He possessed a strange and unusual form when Chaos has no form. He sought to challenge the Four but found he did not have the power to do so."

Then Trixie's voice became whispered and conspiratorial. "Instead he began to undermine their rule by turning their kingdoms against them, but this plan too failed him. The first city he swayed to his cause was a city of Alicorns and its' leader made the mistake of threatening his former king's children as well as declare his intent to secede from the king's rule. The king knew that he could not contend with Discord and this city both, so he petitioned the others of the Four, masters of their own kingdoms save one, and asked for their aid. Even the dragons offered their assistance in the subduing of this city. So Discord found himself alone with this city against the full might of the known world. Assembled against them were Tempests of Pegasi, Thunders of Dragons(1), Terrors of Alicorns(2), Scourges of Unicorns, and Quakes of Earth Ponies."

By the time she had listed off the groups of ponies and dragons her voice had risen in volume and pitch while figures of light began to dance in mock battle above her head accompanied by smoke and fireworks. "The battle was fierce, but lasted only one night under a red moon, its' outcome determined before the first order was given. Much blood was shed, and pain suffered when the light of dawn touched the horizon, but the worst of it surrounded the king of the Alicorns. So great was his wrath and brutal his prowess that friend and foe alike avoided him. Even the Dragons and his own guard would not approach him. This was his environment and the purest expression of his power. That night he earned the name 'The Nightmare of the Blood Moon,' and from the Duke's own throne pronounced his judgment."

Then Twilight heard the voice of Sanguine, loud and commanding. "Had you simply left our kingdom I would have left you be. Instead you join with the Enemy of Order and threaten my daughters. For this reason we, the Four, shall isolate you from the world and strike the very light of sun, moon, and stars from your sky. Until you prove your loyalty to me you will remain in this condition."

Trixie continued in a mournful tone. "And it was done. In an instant, light was taken from them and they became a by-word among their neighbors. Discord was banished for a time. And the Four returned to there kingdoms never to mention this amongst themselves again. The ponies remembered though and called that night by many names, 'The Only Battle,' 'The Last Union of the Four,' or 'The Fall of the Bright City.' No pony even thought of rebellion against these rulers again." With that Trixie left the stage and the curtains closed.

The abruptness of the ending startled Twilight and, it seemed to her, the rest of the crowd for there was only silence. There was no applause, only quiet murmuring. When everyone finally started to leave for there homes the night was filled with whispering. Even Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinky Pie were excitedly chattering amongst themselves. Of her friends, Fluttershy alone seemed to be contemplating the tales, sitting, starring at the stage, lost in thought. Twilight left them that way, her mind to full to admit room to anyone's ideas but her own. Besides, the sooner she got them on paper, the sooner she could sleep.

* * *

*Psalms 139:1-12 _Bible_ (NIV)

**Changed from DarkLight.

(1)Originally by Christopher Paolini. _Inheritance Cycle: Inheritance._

(2)Modified from Paolini's _Inheritance Cycle: Inheritance_.


End file.
